hello, i'm nancy kacungira. every public building in england should be checked for structural problems caused by the lightweight concrete, raac. that's the call from the opposition labour party after more than a hundred schools were ordered to close classrooms until they can be re—enforced. there are warnings that many more public buildings, such as hospitals and prisons, could be affected. with the latest details, here's our reporter zoe conway. the risk posed from raac concrete has been known since this roof collapsed into a school staff room five years ago. luckily, no one was there. now the government is so concerned about the condition of the concrete in more than a hundred schools and colleges in england that they have been told to close or partially close. katherines primary academy in essex

won't open next week, parents are asking why the warning was so last—minute. it is a bit frustrating because it just seemed to be last—second that they decided to say the building is not safe. this school in south london has been partially closed. i have two children, one of my children is in key stage two so her building is this one here which will be closed, and she will be relocated to another site about 20 minutes that way. my son is in year two so he will stay in the building that is still safe and usable. i will have a double drop—off and pick—up. the government says it is acting now because the guidance changed after a raac beam collapsed in a school last week. the beam had previously been thought safe. raac was used in public buildings from the 19505 to the mid—1990s because it was quicker to manufacture than traditional reinforced concrete and easier to install.

as you can see, it is fairly lightweight and you can probably see the air bubbles through the concrete itself. it is reinforced, you can see the groov within the concrete itself which is reinforced with rebar. one of the main issues can occur when water can get inside the concrete itself, it passes through these air pockets and can get to the rebar which is obviously metal and over time can rust. obviously, metal that rusts is weak and that is what can cause the panels themselves to actually fail and fall. the concrete was only designed to last for 30 years and the dangers of raac in public buildings has been known for years. in 2019, an expert committee issued an alert on raac. by 2020, the government promised to remove it from nhs buildings by 2035. in 2021, school safety was rated critical by the department for education. the government rejects

the accusation that it has been slow to act. we did act sooner, to be fair. there was a collapse of a school ceiling back in 2018, we immediately, together with the local government association, provided a warning notice to schools, which is pretty detailed, about what they should do to assess and manage the concrete in the ceiling. in scotland, the government says that 35 schools contain the concrete, but measures are in place to protect pupils safety. in wales and northern ireland it is not yet clear whether raac is causing problems. it is notjust schools where this concrete poses a risk, other public buildings are affected. the courts, for example. and more than a0 nhs buildings. zoe conway, bbc news. joining me now is structural engineer from the association for black and minority ethnic engineers,

zainab adigun. thank you for talking to us. why don't we start with what exactly is raac to begin with?— raac to begin with? raac is reinforced — raac to begin with? raac is reinforced autoclaved - raac to begin with? raac is| reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete which means it changes with how it treats air or gas especially with carbon dioxide. find how it treats air or gas especially with carbon dioxide.— how it treats air or gas especially with carbon dioxide. and why is it a safety risk? — with carbon dioxide. and why is it a safety risk? what _ with carbon dioxide. and why is it a safety risk? what is _ with carbon dioxide. and why is it a safety risk? what is the _ with carbon dioxide. and why is it a safety risk? what is the cause - with carbon dioxide. and why is it a safety risk? what is the cause for. safety risk? what is the cause for concern with raac? the safety risk? what is the cause for concern with mac?— safety risk? what is the cause for concern with raac? the key thing is the material — concern with raac? the key thing is the material properties, _ the material properties, essentially. the one thing is the compressive strength in comparison to normal traditional reinforced concrete. it is a lot weaker. also reinforcement anchorage, how does a rebuy inside the element actually react with the concrete? also the fact that it is quite permeable because it is aerated so it has got lots of bubbles inside so it is

easily penetrable by water. as well as the lx to city elements of it as well. all of those key material properties which were seen as something quite good because it is lightweight and can be prefab it has actually caused the issues that we are seeing today. haifa actually caused the issues that we are seeing today.— actually caused the issues that we are seeing today. how prevalent is it to use because _ are seeing today. how prevalent is it to use because it _ are seeing today. how prevalent is it to use because it was _ are seeing today. how prevalent is it to use because it was quite - it to use because it was quite popular between the 19505 and nineteen nineties? how much of it would there be around and it's all a bit problematic or is itjust in specific cases? in bit problematic or is it 'ust in specific cases?* bit problematic or is it 'ust in specific cases? bit problematic or is it 'ust in secific cases? , ., , specific cases? in terms of the use, it has actually _ specific cases? in terms of the use, it has actually been _ specific cases? in terms of the use, it has actually been used _ specific cases? in terms of the use, it has actually been used not - specific cases? in terms of the use, it has actually been used notjust i it has actually been used notjust in school institutions but it has been used in hospitals a5 in school institutions but it has been used in hospitals as well as officers, and because of the fact that it can be prefab it was a popular product. in terms of how bad it really is, and i5 popular product. in terms of how bad it really is, and is all a bit bad? it really depends. all of these cases need to be assessed on a ca5e—by—case ba5i5 cases need to be assessed on a ca5e—by—case basis to understand

what is a particular element, because you could have two adjacent panels right next to each band of thei55ue5 panels right next to each band of the issues could be completely different. ., the issues could be completely different. . .,~ , different. that makes it quite complicated. _ different. that makes it quite complicated, doesn't - different. that makes it quite complicated, doesn't it, - different. that makes it quite complicated, doesn't it, to i different. that makes it quite i complicated, doesn't it, to solve the problem? how do you go about finding where the problems are and fixing them? the finding where the problems are and fixing them?— fixing them? the key thing is the structural survey. _ fixing them? the key thing is the structural survey. you _ fixing them? the key thing is the structural survey. you have - fixing them? the key thing is the structural survey. you have to i fixing them? the key thing is the i structural survey. you have to have a structural survey and in most cases, they are very intrusive, to understand what the key issues are and the sort of surveys you want to carry out our where you are looking at other support conditions and are around where you have holes which have been posting stalled after it has been constructed. it really will have to take a lot of diligence when you go into these buildings that have these elements installed. thank ou, we have these elements installed. thank you. we certainly _ have these elements installed. thank you, we certainly know _ have these elements installed. thank you, we certainly know a _ have these elements installed. thank you, we certainly know a lot - have these elements installed. thank you, we certainly know a lot more - you, we certainly know a lot more about raac and we did a few minutes ago. thank you. the billionaire businessman, mohamed al fayed, who went from selling soft drinks in egypt to owning harrods and the paris ritz, has died at the age of 94.

his eldest son, dodi, was killed alongside princess diana in a car crash in paris, 26 years ago. an inquiry into mr al fayed's business dealings led successive governments to refuse him british citizenship. daniela relph looks back now at al fayed's life. mohamed al—fayed, once the proud owner of harrods, the world's most famous department store who yearned to be part of the british establishment. born in egypt, he married the sister of billionaire arms dealer adnan khashoggi and built a business empire. he bought the ritz hotel in paris and defeated the lonrho group in the battle to buy harrods. longridge chief executive tiny rowland demanded an inquiry which found mohamed al—fayed had exaggerated his wealth and background. successive governments refused him british citizenship. do you think this is fair from the home secretary to behave

the way with someone like me who have given employment to thousands of people, having four british kids? just... it shows what type of people, you know, infiltrate in the political life and give us such a deal. revenge was swift. two conservative ministers, neil hamilton and tim smith, left the government accused of taking cash to ask questions in the commons. another, jonathan aiken, resigned after mohamed al—fayed revealed that he'd stayed free of charge at the ritz in paris at the same time as saudi arms dealers. he went on to buy fulham football club and courted the royal family. when his son, dodi, began a relationship with diana, princess of wales, it seemed mohamed al—fayed had finally won a place at the highest levels of british society. but when dodi and diana were killed

in paris, he insisted they'd been murdered by m16. the claims were investigated by the police and a coroner, and found to be without substance. outside the court, he clung to conspiracy theories. but the evidence doesn't backl you up, does it, mr al—fayed? the evidence? what evidence? i am not talking to you because you are a bloody idiot. you are part of the establishment and yourjournalists belong... you work for... you work for m16, you idiot. combative and increasingly embittered, mohamed al—fayed spent so many of his later years determined to destroy an establishment he'd once been so keen to join. the businessman, mohamed al—fayed, who has died, at the age of 94. 0ur reporter louisa pilbeam joins me now and simon as daniela touched on in her report —

mohamed al—fayed's views about the royal family came to dominate his later life? yes, he was a strong character. he was so flamboyant at times that sometimes some people found him eccentric. and sometimes that worked against the level of respect that he felt he deserved from the british establishment. he really craved, we saw hints of this, he craved the connections with the british royal family. it was actually through diana that he became close to the royals. he actually invited diana on a trip to st tropez in the summer of 1997 and she got to get away from the public glare on his yacht. and became very close to him. there were reported to the time that she liked him because he was himself around her. and we heard that he was in a strong character and i think she liked that. she also liked the privacy that his wealth enabled her to receive when they were on this

holiday. and of course it was when she was with mohamed al—fayed that she was with mohamed al—fayed that she got to know his son and when they died in the car crash in august 1997 it was then that mohamed al—fayed really turned against this british establishment and of the royal family doubt he had sold wanted to be a part of and close to. and interestingly, when he was at the royal courts ofjustice where the royal courts ofjustice where the quest to place, it was there that he said that this was his moment where you can actually talk about the conspiracy. he was sure to his dying days that his son and the princess of wales were murdered. he said that this is the moment for me to say exactly what i feel happened to say exactly what i feel happened to my son and diana at the inquest. and during it, as i said, he sometimes from some sectors of society didn't get the respect that he felt he deserved, even during that, there were reports that lawyers were speaking to him and

quipping, pretty much, in his eyes, disrespecting him. it was there that he really turned against the british establishment that he had so wanted to be a part of. establishment that he had so wanted to be a part of— we are joined now by michael cole, the former bbc royal correspondent who went on to work for mohamed al fayed as director for public affairs at harrods. great to have you on the programme. watching back that clips of mohamed al—fayed, it is clear that why some people described him as a larger—than—life, but no one is ever one—dimensional, how would you describe his character? i one-dimensional, how would you describe his character?— describe his character? i think it is worth saying _ describe his character? i think it is worth saying that _ describe his character? i think it is worth saying that he - describe his character? i think it is worth saying that he died - describe his character? i think it is worth saying that he died on i is worth saying that he died on wednesday, which was the day before the 26th anniversary of the tragic deaths in paris of his only son and diana princess of wales, and he was entombed in a private mausoleum on the grounds of his silly estate

yesterday. the day after that anniversary. whether there was an element of key is met, the wonderful arabic word, the fate in all of that i do not know, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. muhammad was a remarkable man in many ways, he owned the most celebrated department store in the world, he owned the most glamorous hotel ever known, the ritz in paris and he owned a very iconic football ground which is many people's favourite team, fulham football club down by the river thames at craven cottage. the people who knew him or who worked for him are awareness customers are fans of his club knew him well and they liked him. he was controversial but one thing i think i ought to be said is that he didn't yearn to be part of society, he hated night clubs, he never went to smart restaurants, he was interested in his family and his

firms and his customers and his staff. and it is not true that he took revenge on the british government. what happened was after he had made, at his own expense and to great cost to himself, revelations about sleaze at the heart of the john revelations about sleaze at the heart of thejohn major revelations about sleaze at the heart of the john major conservative government, four months after those revelations came out in the guardian newspaper it was the british government that turned down his application for naturalisation as a british subject. four months later. if anybody is taking revenge, it was the british government on mohamed al—fayed. but he took it all in his stride, and contrary to what your reporter things, stride, and contrary to what your reporterthings, he stride, and contrary to what your reporter things, he didn't yearn to be part of or want to be part of the royalfamily, yes, he loved diana as a daughter and he was very close to her father, a daughter and he was very close to herfather, and for a0 a daughter and he was very close to her father, and for a0 years a daughter and he was very close to herfather, and for a0 years he a daughter and he was very close to her father, and for a0 years he was close to her stepmother who was a

director, he hoped the best for his son and diana and he thought they would have a wonderful future together... would have a wonderful future together- - -_ would have a wonderful future touether... , ., , together... sorry to “ump in. he was of course greatly — together... sorry tojump in. he was of course greatly affected _ together... sorry tojump in. he was of course greatly affected by - together... sorry tojump in. he was of course greatly affected by the - of course greatly affected by the death of his son. just your reflections on that and how it affected the trajectory of his entire life, really? flit affected the trajectory of his entire life, really? of course. he was very stoic. _ entire life, really? of course. he was very stoic, he _ entire life, really? of course. he was very stoic, he was _ entire life, really? of course. he was very stoic, he was very - entire life, really? of course. he. was very stoic, he was very strong and steadfast and courageous during that terrible week. but i could tell, because i knew him quite well, that he was knocked to the same person. i could see the sadness at the back of his eyes, always. but he said to me, i have got 7000 staff, i have a family, i have to show leadership, i can't walk around with a long face, and he had to smile, and he had to carry on. but nothing was ever really quite the same because he had lost his first—born son. and now he is in this tomb

lying alongside him for eternity. thank you very much for your thoughts. michael cole. doctors have told the bbc an unarmed palestinian man shot and left critically wounded as he ran away from israeli forces was hit "to be killed". video of ameed al—jaghoub being struck was widely circulated online, leading to condemnation from human rights groups, coming amid escalating violence in the occupied west bank. israel says it used live ammunition on the day due to what it called a violent riot. 0ur middle east correspondent tom bateman reports. and a warning, some viewers may find this story distressing. running in the white shirt, an unarmed palestinian. he is shot in the back of the head, the moment he's hit, too graphic to show. ameed was heading away

from the reported position of israeli troops towards an injured man when he was struck. it has left him severely wounded. now they fear their brother may never come home. doctors say these are critical days for ameed. and yet another family is drawn in to the west bank's epidemic of suffering. translation: this is a cruel - and cowardly act at the same time, because he was on his way to do a humanitarian act, he was not carrying a stone or a weapon or anything. now, ameed's brother keeps a vigil, but it's broken by the intensive care treatment. doctors say if he survives, he will be severely brain damaged due to the bullet�*s impact. it entered from behind and there is no outlet if the whole structure is damaged inside. this guy was hit to be killed.

this year, the west bank has been ignited by violence, the worst in two decades. just days before ameed was shot, palestinian gunmen killed two israelis. troops then raided the nearby village of beitar, reportedly to detain a man who might know the attacker�*s whereabouts. residents threw stones at armoured vehicles and israeli snipers took up positions. witnesses say ameed was running down the street to help a wounded man. his family can't understand why he was targeted. and others who saw it say the facts were clear. what they're telling me is that there was a militaryjeep at the end of the street about 20 metres away. a border police officer got out, and as ameed ran down the street, the border policeman fired a single shot. it hit him in the back of the head. the confrontations intensified after ameed was shot.

another resident we tracked down said when the troops came, one made threats. translation: the israeli officer told me, "come here, _ "you understand hebrew?" he said, "go and tell these children to get away "from here because i'm here to kill." he said in hebrew, "i'm here to kill." israel police didn't respond to that claim nor answer questions about why ameed was shot. but it said its forces used live ammunition as a violent riot was endangering troops' lives. the footage is among the most explicit in recent years, documenting lethal force used without what rights groups say is any justification. israeli police say they are reviewing the case. their brother's blood stains the streets, and the west bank is further soaked in violence. it will be a long wait for another family unlikely to get any real answers. tom bateman, bbc news, beitar.

rail passengers in england are facing a second day of disruption as thousands of rmt union members go on strike. some journeys into scotland and wales will also be affected. train drivers with aslef walked out yesterday, as both unions continue disputes with rail operators and the government over pay. here's our business correspondent, marc ashdown: today's rail work shifts from the working week to leather travel. whether it is trying to visit friends or family over the weekend are travelling to a sporting fixture, would be rail passengers are likely to be disappointed. up to 20,000 rail workers at the rmt union, typically station staff or guards, are on strike for 2a hours. it is part of a long—running dispute over pay, jobs and working practices. the rail delivery group which represents more than a dozen operators has offered a 5% backdated pay rise and a pay rise of a% this

year if changes to the way staff work can be agreed. we would have to agree to these draconian cuts and ticket offices we would have to agree to cuts in catering, engineering and other grades. we simply can't do that. i'm not going to get my members to vote for their own demise. there is no stand—alone pay rise for us or any of the other grades in the industry or any of the other unions. they are dependent on us accepting these drastic cuts to service and cuts to jobs. fewer than half of rail services in england are expected to run today, although it will vary in different parts of the country. some services into wales and scotland could be all affected. all of this follows a 2a—hour strike by train drivers had to be has aslef union yesterday. they took to the picket lines in dispute over pay. drivers are back to work today but are refusing to do any overtime. the rail company and government said the payoff at above unions

is reasonable and should be put to members for a vote. no fresh negotiations are planned, so after more than a year of industrial action, there is still no end in sight. mark ashdown, bbc news. let's talk to our business correspondent — marc ashdown. more disruption today marc, are we any closer to a breakthrough to solve this dispute? kind of. tentative steps is the best way we can put this. we had months and months of no contact from either side but now we have had a few exchanges, a bit of dialogue, in the form of letters. the rmt wrote to the rail delivery group that represents all of the train companies, they sought of bargain and bad behalf, they wrote to them about a week ago setting out what they call the road map to resolve this dispute. i will talk you through the nuts and bolts of it. they were asking for a fresh pair proposal to be put on the table, a straight one yet pay offer backdated to last year. they wanted guarantee of no compulsory redundancies. they want cooperation on reforms. we have heard that there is a need for some reforms to the way that staff work. they want to be fully involved with

that. the way that writers were kind of a writing practice. last night, the rail delivery group responded. they wrote a letter back to the rmt saying we agree, we need to navigate our way through all of this. they are encouraged that the union are seeking to be forward and they say they remain open to talks and fresh negotiations this coming week. they do that though, point out the crippling financial challenges facing the industry. they say they can't afford the sort of pay rise of the rmt are after. they say they are disappointed the rmt has not put to the previous to their members for a vote yet and they and they believe they would get support for that. they want the strikes called off as a show of good faith before they will all sit down. this is a bit chicken and egg really. both sides saying that if they give us something they will sit down and talk. but at least there is a bit of dialogue. in terms of today's disruption, how long before things get

back to normality? it from yesterday. commuters were giving we resize, over another strike. we are back to the leisure situation. people are trying to travel around the country to visit friends and family. football fans especially are relying on trains to follow their beloved teams. i think it will be pot luck whether you get a train, very unlikely. more trains are running then yesterday, so about half of the services are expected to be running. a bit of disruption into wales and scotland. remember, those that lets lakers who are back on strike and back today. they refuse to do any overtime so that will not help either. afterwards, once they'll come back to work tomorrow, it is a bit of a fiendish jigsaw puzzle of people in the wrong places, trains and cruise on the wrong places. all of that needs to get back to normal again. i think we should see a bit of disruption tomorrow. certainly check with your operator before you leave the house.

by operator before you leave the house. by monday, though, things should be back to normal. will we get some talks potentially next week? no actual strike dates in the diary now going forward but both unions, aslef and the rmc, do have a mandate for more strikes, so this could just as easily escalate be as resolved. mark, thank you very much. you are watching bbc news. stay with us. hello there. we started off this morning with a bit of patchy mist and fog but much of that has started to clear away and for many others we are looking at someone sunny spells into this afternoon. it was the scene this morning. the lovely can start to the day across the sea. this is of a satellite image. you can see we have quite a bank of cloud to the far north—west of the uk, but generally speaking, across the uk this is where we have the clear skies and fine weather. still

a bit of cloud across central areas, continuing to clear away. we could continue to catch the odd shower across the far south of england and across the far south of england and across wales. but really for most of us it is going to be a drier day with those warm sunny spells. temperatures getting up to about 21 to 2a celsius quite widely. 15 to 18 degrees further north and west across scotland where the cloud will thicken later in the day. tonight there will be some patches of mist and fog developing, mainly across southern areas of england. the midlands towards east anglia as well. cloud will thicken in the far north—west of scotland, with outbreaks of rain. a milder night to come across scotland compared to last night, temperatures last night were down close to freezing in the north—east but tonight, 13 to 15 degrees. throughout sunday still that cloud and rain across the far north—west, any of that mist and fog across southern areas will be clearing away and lots of sunshine is expected during sunday. with light winds across england and wales as well. that will feel quite warm.

it is breezy across scotland and the far north—west. that is with that cloud and rain and a breeze temperatures will be more like 15 to 17 celsius. to eastern scotland, 23 celsius bear in aberdeen. 2a to 25 degrees further south we come. on through next week, high pressure will move its way further eastwards but what it does is keep things relatively settled and with that south—easterly wind it will bring in a much warmer conditions. this is the air mass picture, there is a lot of orange here on the map and that is showing us that we have this warm air coming infrom is showing us that we have this warm air coming in from the south—east, temperatures will rise throughout the week, particularly for england and wales. 25 to 28 or perhaps even 30 degrees on wednesday or thursday with that sunshine. temperatures across scotland and northern ireland in the low to mid 205. it will start to break down a little bit by the end of next week. goodbye.

this is bbc news, the headlines... the billionaire businessman, mohamed al—fayed, who went from selling soft drinks in egypt to owning harrods and the paris ritz, has died at the age of 9a. his eldest son, dodi, was killed alongside princess diana in a car crash in paris 26 years ago. pope francis travels through mongolia as part of a four—day visit to the asian nation. it's the pope's first—ever visit

to the majority buddhist country. the visit is seen as a gesture of support for the tiny community of catholics — they are fewer than 1500. typhoon saola has made landfall in southern china, having given hong kong a glancing blow. saola is bringing fierce winds and heavy rain to guangdong province, where tens of millions of people are sheltering indoors. eight—hundred thousand people have been evacuated from the more vulnerable areas of guangdong — which is home to several megacities. now on bbc news...the briefing